Absalom Jones

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Absalom Jones

Absalom Jones (1746 – February 13, 1818), was an African American abolitionist and clergyman. He was the first African-American priest in the Episcopal Church.

Jones was born into slavery in Delaware. When he was 16, he was sold to a store owner in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. While still a slave of Mr. Wynkoop, he married Mary King, another slave, on January 4, 1770. He paid for her freedom by 1778, and by 1784, he paid for his own freedom.

He became a lay minister for black members in a Methodist church. He later founded St. Thomas African Church in Philadelphia, which petitioned to become an Episcopalian parish. Jones was later ordained as the first African-American priest in the Episcopal Church. He was a well-known orator and helped establish the tradition of New Year's antislavery sermons.

Jones was also part of the first group of African-Americans to petition the U.S. Congress. The petition was in regard to cruelty and brutality encouraged by the 1793 Fugitive Slave Act. While House of Representatives member George Thatcher of Massachusetts responded with the desire to amend the Fugitive Slave Act, resistance to changing the law forced the proposal to fail.

Absalom Jones and Richard Allen founded the Free African Society